Entry No. 141 — the Denver file — filed under: giant-sculpture
Redman (Trail of the Whispering Giants)
“Too weathered to stand, it was gently laid on its back”
Redman is a 37-foot folk-art wooden head carved in 1979 from a fallen cottonwood by Hungarian-American artist Peter Wolf Toth as part of his "Trail of the Whispering Giants" series — one in every U.S. state. Too weathered to stand, it was gently laid on its back in late 2022, and a local quarry donated massive stones to ring it in a half-circle shrine in 2023, turning its prone form into something genuinely eerie and moving.
The story
In 1979, Hungarian-American artist Peter Wolf Toth showed up in Loveland, took a chisel to a fallen cottonwood log, and carved a 37-foot face known as Redman. It was the 31st stop on his self-appointed quest to hand-carve at least one giant wooden monument in every U.S. state—a series he called the Trail of the Whispering Giants. For fourteen years, Redman stood on the south shore of Lake Loveland, staring over the water until Colorado snow and summer heat rotted his base. When the city slated him for removal in 1993, ranch owner Pat Block intervened and hauled the heavy wooden titan eight miles west to her land along US Highway 34.
Decades on the open plains took their toll a second time. By late 2022, four decades of rot made the towering sculpture too unstable to stand safely without collapsing. Rather than cutting him up for firewood, the owners lowered the giant onto his back facing straight up at the sky. A few months later, in June 2023, a local quarry donated massive, rough-cut boulders to ring his head in a half-circle perimeter.
The shift in position fundamentally altered the site's energy. What was once a standard roadside photo-op has become something far more strange and solemn: an ancient-looking open-air tomb laid out right along a roaring two-lane highway, with thirty-seven feet of silvered wood cradled in stone, quietly watching the clouds drift toward Big Thompson Canyon.
What it's like
Driving west on US-34 toward the foothills, you will miss him if you do not slow down early; at sixty miles per hour, a prone wooden giant looks like fallen timber until you spot the ring of pale quarry boulders on the north side of the road just past County Road 29. There is no parking lot, gift shop, or turnoff lane. Pull onto the narrow gravel shoulder carefully, hit your hazards, and watch out for mountain-bound traffic speeding by your elbow. Walk up to the fence line around golden hour, when the low western sun hits the weathered grey cottonwood grain and lights up the stone arc behind his head.
The move: Pull over on US-34 west of Loveland and walk the roadside to view Redman lying flat against the sky, ringed by donated quarry stones — bring a picnic and binoculars, then continue a few miles further into Big Thompson Canyon for a short riverside hike before heading back to Loveland's downtown sculpture walk.
📍 Before you go It's roughly an hour north of Denver (about 50 miles), so plan it as a day trip. Because Redman now lies flat, it's easy to blow past at highway speed — watch for the ring of pale quarry stones on the north side of US-34, west of County Road 29 and near the Carter Lake turnoff. It sits on private property but is fully visible from the road, with no dedicated pullout, so slow down carefully, view respectfully from the shoulder, and mind fast traffic. The plains here are open and exposed (wind and cold off-season), and golden hour gives the best sky behind him. Carter Lake, just north, makes an easy add-on.
- 📍 Loveland
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: US Highway 34, ~8 miles west of downtown Loveland, CO (north side of US-34, just west of County Road 29), Loveland, CO 80537
Hours: Mined 2026-06-07 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Faces Bridge — Follow up one eerie face gazing at the sky with dozens of bronze faces staring out from beneath a bridge just three miles down the road.
- Mon Ami Salt Cave & Spa — Trade the dusty, wind-swept highway shoulder for a quiet hour beneath a fiber-optic starlit ceiling surrounded by thousands of pounds of Himalayan salt.
- Little Thompson Observatory — Since Redman spends his nights staring straight up into the dark, drive seven miles south to gaze at those same stars through a 24-inch research telescope.
Good to know
Where is Redman located, and can I walk up to him?
He rests on private property on the north side of US Highway 34, just west of County Road 29 and near the Carter Lake turnoff, roughly 8 miles west of downtown Loveland. Because he lies on private ranch land, you must view him respectfully from the highway shoulder outside the fence.
Why is the sculpture lying flat instead of standing upright?
Carved from cottonwood in 1979, four decades of Front Range weather rotted the base until he was at risk of falling. In late 2022, the owners lowered him safely onto his back, and local quarry stones were added in 2023 to form a permanent shrine around his head.
Who carved Redman and what is the Trail of the Whispering Giants?
Artist Peter Wolf Toth carved Redman by hand as part of his nationwide project to create at least one massive wooden sculpture honoring Native American heritage in all 50 states.
Are there set visiting hours or fees?
No, Redman is free to view from the public roadside anytime, though daylight—especially golden hour—gives you the best view against the foothill skies.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Roadside America · retro1025.com · kmax943.com · Wikipedia
last checked: 2026-06-07